I am DONE!!!!!!

Sick of being put in postions that are unsafe, watching physicans make decisions out of exhaustion, watching patients die. I am done!

We are helpers and doers by nature, therefore we help and do until we are close to burn out. Being unable to do our job the way we would like makes us frustrated and disillusioned.

I have felt this way many times, sadly enough. A lot of sweat, tears and sleepless nights went into getting my nursing degree, so I am very reluctant to give it up.

That being said, at times I feel as though nursing is no longer about the patients. Staffing ratios are horrible, the charting is redundant, and at times, we are forced to cut corners in order to get our work done.

I am used to dealing with patients that are rude, demanding, and obnoxious at times, but the other day, for the first time in my nursing career, the police had to be called because a patient went ballistic. I fear that someday, a disgruntled patient will come back to the hospital with a sawed off shotgun and start shooting. I know that sounds pessimistic, but I truly fear that it could happen.

The rural area in which I practice has an extremely high percentage of drug users. In a 30 bed hospital, we average 10-20 overdoses in a month. We also have a lot of patients who are drug abusers who demand a MS or Demerol PCA when they arrive on the floor and behave in a threatening manner when they do not get what they want. The very sick patients often do not get the care they need because you spend the majority of your shift dealing with the problem patients.

Administration/Management does not back you up. Instead they cater to the whims of these types of patients and also to the whims of unreasonable family members. When the nurses try to follow protocol or procedure, we are often reprimanded for doing so because a family member complains. It is very demeaning and demoralizing to the nurses.

I try very hard to focus on the positive aspects of my job: Good pay, a smile or thank-you from a patient, a rare "easy" night with little commotion, working 12 hour shifts, so I have more days off. I also try to remain emotionally and mentally neutral. I think that most nurses are very caring and sensitive people, which makes it difficult for a lot of us to admit that we are not completely satisfied in our career choice. We are helpers and doers by nature, therefore we help and do until we are close to burn out. Being unable to do our job the way we would like makes us frustrated and disillusioned.